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The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
| Recorded = October 20, 1963; June 18–30, 1964 | Studio =Capitol Studios and United Western Recorders, Hollywood | Genre = Christmas | Length = 27:37 | Label = Capitol | Producer = Brian Wilson | Last album = Beach Boys Concert (1964) | This album = The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964) | Next album = Today! (1965) | Misc = }} The Beach Boys' Christmas Album is the seventh studio album by the Beach Boys, released in November 1964.Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band: On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. p. 72 Containing five original songs and seven standards, the album proved to be a long-running success during subsequent Christmas seasons, initially reaching number six in the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart in its year of release and eventually going gold. It is regarded as one of the finest holiday albums of the rock era. While leader Brian Wilson produced and arranged the rock songs, he left it to Dick Reynolds (an arranger for the Four Freshmen, a group Wilson idolized) to arrange the forty-one piece orchestral backings on the traditional songs to which the Beach Boys would apply their vocals. One single was released from the album, the original song "The Man with All the Toys" backed with the group's rendition of "Blue Christmas". "Little Saint Nick", a single which had already been released the previous year, was included on the album. In 1977, the Beach Boys attempted to follow the album with Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys, but it was rejected by their label. The entire Christmas Album plus selections from the Merry Christmas sessions were later assembled for the 1998 compilation Ultimate Christmas. Background The album was devised as a response to Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (1963), an album Brian had attended recording sessions for. He played piano on the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" but was dismissed by Spector due to his substandard piano playing. Original album cover photo by George Jerman for Capitol Photo Studio. Recording With the exception of "Little Saint Nick", sessions for the album spanned from June 18–30, 1964, one month after the ''All Summer Long album was completed. "Christmas Day" is the first Beach Boys song to feature a lead vocal from Al Jardine. The album was released in mono and stereo; the stereo mix, prepared by engineer Chuck Britz, would be the last true stereo mix for a Beach Boys album until 1968's Friends. In addition to orchestral renditions of "Jingle Bells" and the original Wilson composition "Christmas Eve" which never received vocal overdubs, outtakes of the All Summer Long track "Little Honda" Mirror and Today! single "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" were recorded in between June sessions. Reception [ Allmusic review] | rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music | rev3Score = | rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | rev5Score = }} In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Jason Ankeny stated: "Brian Wilson's pop genius is well suited to classic Yuletide fare, and the group delivers lush performances of standards ranging from 'Frosty the Snowman' to 'White Christmas' as well as more contemporary material like 'The Man With All the Toys' and 'Blue Christmas.'" While interviewing Wilson for a promotional radio special in 1964, Jack Wagner remarked that Wilson's decision to sing solo on a version of "Blue Christmas" could be "the start of a whole new career," to which Wilson responded "I don’t know. It could and it couldn't. I really don’t know." Referring to the standards which he believed "proved that the Beach Boys' vocal power was bigger and more agile than the surf and hot rod records and staking a claim for wider musical terrain," author Luis Sanchez reflected: "The Beach Boys' Christmas Album music shows a quality of aesthetic selectivity that none of the group's records that came before it do, aspiring not just to assimilate one of pop's stock ideas, but also enabling Brian to make one of his biggest artistic advances." On April 6, 1982, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, selling more than 500,000 units. Release history Related compilations * 1998: Ultimate Christmas * 2004: Christmas with the Beach Boys * 2009: Christmas Harmonies Track listing Personnel The Beach Boys * Al Jardine – lead, harmony and backing vocals; rhythm guitar; handclaps * Mike Love – lead, harmony and backing vocals; handclaps * Brian Wilson – lead, harmony and backing vocals; bass; keyboards; handclaps * Carl Wilson – harmony and backing vocals; lead guitar; handclaps * Dennis Wilson – harmony, backing and spoken word vocals; drums, handclaps Session musicians and production staff Orchestra Conducted by Benjamin Barrett. Special Arrangements by Dick Reynolds. Sales chart positions Albums Singles References Category:1964 Christmas albums Category:Albums produced by Brian Wilson Category:Albums recorded at Capitol Studios Category:Albums recorded at United Western Recorders Category:The Beach Boys albums Category:Christmas albums by American artists Category:Capitol Records Christmas albums Category:English-language albums Category:Pop rock Christmas albums Category:1964 albums